Australasian nightmares a thing of the past, the Cats now revert to their Currie Cup alter-egos, the Lions, who will be coached by the hugely-experienced Eugene Eloff.

Having been given Ludeke’s job for the domestic season, Eloff faces the tough task of casting these memories out.

The SA U19 coach is well aware of the improbability of a Lions success.

“I’m not even thinking about Currie Cup finals or even semi-finals at the moment,” he admitted to keo.co.za.

Eloff’s main concern at the moment is getting the players to move on from this atrocious start to the season. “The players have accepted responsibility for the way they played, and it’s time to move on,” he said.

The players recently attended a two-day camp in the Vaal Triangle which was intended as a “wash-up”; a chance to get their minds right for the Currie Cup.

The Lions will also be without their inspirational captain, Wikus Van Heerden, as well as a several other players for most of the season.

“We have lost a few players to the national side,” said Eloff, “but I don’t view this as a negative, I view it as a opportunity to give a young and exciting player a chance.”

“It’s difficult to pinpoint our strengths at the moment, but there are already a few good structures in place, and we plan to build on those for the Currie Cup,” he added.

The Lions kick off their Currie Cup campaign against the Sharks in Durban on 23 June.